Telephone muffler



Patented Apr. 14, 1931 I 1,800,234

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY C. TUTTLE, F LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK TELEPHONE MUFFLER Application filed July 1, 1929. Serial No. 375,065.

This invention relates to an instrumenresult in a decidedly inartistic structure so tality by means of which a telephone user that those who have objections to the ordimay speak into a telephone transmitter while nary telephone when equipped with an ordipersons are within hearing distance of his nary type of muffler would doubtless object '5 voice without those persons being able to hear to such an extent that the use of a mufiier of 65 what he is saying and, speaking broadly, may the ordinary type with the hand set type of be denominated a telephone silencer or instrument would not be commercial. mufller. I In order to obviate the objections here'ur Heretofore, for the purpose of enabling before cited, and to furnish the telephone user 19 telephone users to speak into the transmitter with an unobjectionable accessory which may 60 of a telephone without being heard by persons be used as a silencer with the hand set type within hearing distance, it has been cusof instrument, applicant has produced the intomary for the person using the telephone to vention hereinafter to be fully described. withdraw to a sound-proof booth or to make A principal object of applicants invention use of some one of the well known devices is the production Of a device which may be (if) permanently attached to a telephone trans used as an accessory to the hand set type of mitter, known as mufflers. telephone transmitter as a muffler or silencer.

The provision of a sound proof booth is in A further object of applicants invention the large majority of cases quite impossible is the production of a silencer which will be 0 and undersirable both by reason of the ex so constructed that it need not and will not 70 pense involved and the amount of space rebe permanently connected to a telephone quired. transmitter but may be temporarily, conven- There are a number of devices, known as iently and easily connected or associated mufilers, which are designed for permanent therewith for the purpose of acting as a siattachment to the ordinary type of telephone lencer.

desk set now usually employed in this coun- A further object is to provide a telephone try but such devices are objectionable to some silencer which will be a complete unit in it because, being rather large, they detract from self, standing on its own base at the correct the symmetrical appearance of the telephone height to receive the telephone transmitter set and become tiresome to the eye, as they in the normal position of-use. So are usually always in place even though the A further object of applicants invention necessity for their use may arise but rarely. is the production of a device of the type spew At the present time, a decided preference ified which will act efficiently as a mufiler, in

I, is being shown by many for the desk telethat, it will be so formed that not only will the 1 phone set which is popularly known as the conversation of the user be inaudible to perhand set, that is, one in which the transsons within hearing range but the telephone mitter and the receiver are attached at the transmission will be improved because the opposite ends of a single arm, spaced such lips are automatically positioned at the 4 a distance apart that the receiver rests nicely proper distance from the diaphragm of the in place against the ear, and the transmitter telephone transmitter and surrounding noises is positioned at a distance from the lips will be excluded from the transmitter. properly to receive sounds issuing therefrom. A further object of the invention is to pro The well known forms of silencers devide a device of the type specified which will signed to be permanently attached to a transnot only function efficiently as a muffler but mitter were not intended, so far asI am aware, will also be an artistic utility as a desk piece to be used in association with the hand set adapted to perform the functions of some type of instrument, furthermore, the placing one or more of the well known desk pieces or of the ordinary and well known mufflers on articles of furniture. such a type of instrument would hamper the Further objects and advantages will applacing of the set on its cradle and would pear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In'describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts through-out the several views, and in which: 7

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a device embodying my invention; Fi 2, is a cross-sectional view of the device as shown by Fig. 1, on the plane indicated by the line HII, viewed in the direction of the arrows at-the ends of the line, and also showing the position of-the lips and surrounding face contour of a user; Fig. 3', isa cross-section view on the plane indicated by the line lll lll of Fig. I, viewed in the direction of the arrows at the ends of the, line, and also showing the position of a telephone instrument when used in connection therewith.

My invention contemplates in essence a walled chamber provided with one orifice through which sound issuing from the sounc organs of a person may be directed and an-v other orifice into which the diaphragm end of a telephone transmitter may be inserted and. rotated and/or pushed to a proper receptive position adjacent to and in line with the direction of the sounds delivered into the sound receiving orifice. With this general construction I have in mind the formation of a walled chamber such that it is self sustaining in that it stands upon its own base in a stable manner free from ofiensive likelihooc accompanying this specification in which .L

to be easily overturned, combined with a graceful and pleasing appearance and one in which the interior contours of the shell are properly designed to direct the sound of the voice, not necessary to tranmsission on toward a sound absorbing medium in the base and one adaptedby its construction to include as a desk utility some one or, more of the usual desk conveniences such as a clock, calender or note pad,

The full scope of my in 'entio-n may best .be contemplated and understood by reference to the hereinafter given description in connection parti'cularly with the drawings T have particularly illustrated an embodiment of my invention which at the presenttime is a preferred embodiment thereof, although I 1 desire to have it distinctly un-oersto'odthat the drawings are illustrative only, as the scope'of my invention is such that it may be embodied in forms radically an d distinctly difierent from that particularly shown in the drawings and described specifically in the specification.

The preferred embodiment of my inventien the: present time, as illustrated in the drawings, is in the form of a hollow shell joined together by suitable means. The

structure might well be so made but it is-to be understood that although the structure is a walled chamber it is not to be understood that each well is necessarily separate and distinct from any other or all the other walls because two walls or three walls or even four walls may be formed from a single sheet of material or molded in one piece. In fact, it might well be that'the preferred method of making the device would be to make all of the walls integral with the exception perhaps of the baseor bottom wall.

It is further to be understood that although by usingthe word walls it seems to indicate that there is a distinct line of division between, say, a side and a back wall, nevertheless, the outside surface of the device can be such that no distinct line of demarcation exists between what may be called a back wall ano what may be called the side wall as applicant does not intend toexclude a device so formed as to fail to show listinct edges or corners. V

In the device as shown in the drawings the right side wall is designated 1; the left side wall, 2; the back wall,,3; and the front wall, 4. The base or bottom wall is designated 5 and the top wall is designated 6.

I prefer to have the base or bottom wall 5 removably fitted into a rabbet, as 7, formed in the side walls and in the front and back walls. The bottom wall 5 may well be held in place by various means but I prefer countersunk machine screws as 8 passing through the base and threaded into the ends of the side,- front, and back walls.

If the side walls and the front-and back wall are made integral'as by moulding, no

The top wall 6 is to be formed with an orifice 10, best shown in Fig. 1. This orifice will appear somewhat elliptical n plan view as shown in Fig. 1 and the edges will be well rounded, as best shown in Fig. 2, to theend that they will be unobjectionable when pressed against the portion of the face surrounding the lips of person. The front edge 11 of theorilice will be positioned slightly lower than the rear edge 12 as such construct on provides an opening which will best receive, in a sound-tight manner, the

portion of the face surrounding the lips. The portion 13 of the orifice and the portion i l will be at the samelevel but portions 11 and 12 will each be at a lower level and the portion 11 will be at a lower level than the portion 12. This construction of orifice will best suit the formation of that portion of the face which surrounds the lips of the average user. The manner in which the lips of a user will be positioned and the manner in which the orifice 1O conforms to the face of the user is best shown by Fig. 2 in which a portion of the face of a user is illustrated.

The top wall 6 along the lines and 16 curves upwardly and inwardly from the back and from the front in such manner that the line 15, as best shown is Fig. 2, is substantially the arc of a circle. The portion of the top Wall which is to the rear of the orifice 10, that is, the portion 17 is dished inwardly as best shown in Fig. 2 so that it offers no impediment to the nose of a user. The front portion of the top wall 6, that is the portion 18, is also dished inwardly, as best shown in Fig. 2 so that it does not interfere with the chin of the user.

Although the mouth opening or sound receiving orifice has been described as being in the top wall 6 it is to be understood that in a broad sense the top wall, insofar as this invention is concerned, should be interpreted as meaning the upper portion of the device because applicant does not intend to exclude a construction in which the sound receiving orifice may be so positioned as to well be described as being in the side wall adjacent the top.

- The side wall 2 is provided with a circular orifice 19. This orifice is provided with marginate flexible and compressible or resilient material such as soft rubber. This material preferably takes the form of a somewhat annular body provided. with a groove 20. As the material is rubber or of the nature of rubber the annular member 21 may be positioned, as shown in Fig. 3, by slightly compressing the walls, positioning it properly in the orifice 19 and then allowing it to expand whereupon the annulus will lock itself in position with the wall 2 situated within the groove 20. The annulus 21 on the portion situated within the chamber 22 is formed with a flange 23 of such shape that it may rest nicely against the front face of the cap of a telephone receiver and the portion intermediate between the flange 23 and the groove is made of such form that it will fit snugly against the side face of the cap of a telephone receiver of the hand set type. The plane of the flange 23 is not parallel with a side wall as 2 but is inclined at an angle thereto, as best shown in Fig. 3, so that the diaphragm opening of the transmitter may be brought just beneath the orifice 10 and be positioned in relation thereto such that the transmitter will be in substantially the same position as regards the lips of a person speaking into the orifice 10 as it-Would be if the muffler were .not being used. The position of the transmitter end of the telephone 24 is shown in Fig. 3 as it would be when a person is talking into the orifice 10.

From Fig. 3, in connection with the hereinbefore given description, it can be readily understood that one desiring to use the muffler could with his right hand hold the mufller firmly against the flange 23 along its inward.

face and that thereby the transmitter will be properly positioned and then when the telephone conversation is finished it would be as easy to manually remove the telephone 24 as it is to manually insert it into the annulus 21 and manually hold it in position during the conversation. As a diaphragm opening is positioned approximately the same distance from the lips when using the mufiler as when ordinarily used the receiver must of necessity be at the proper distance to cooperate with the ear of a person.

As it is desirable to prevent reverberation when sounds are delivered into the wall chamber, applicant provides a chamber the walls of which flare downwardly so that such sound as is not necessary to transmission will be directed downwardly toward a sound absorbing medium 26 placed within the base of the chamber. This sound absorbing medium 26 may be of any desired,appropriate material such as soft felt, Wood pulp or the like, and preferably fills the entire space between the walls, rising a considerable distance therein, and is supported by the bottom wall 5.

In selecting the contour, size and proportions of the hollow shell embodying my invention, it is so designed as to flare downwardly with the object of directing the excess volume of sound which is not essential to transmission in a downward direction toward the sound absorbing medium placed in the larger end of the chamber constituting the base where it will be absorbed with the result that its tendency to penetrate the walls and its tendency to reverberate is minimized.

Vhile I have herein illustrated a silencer having sound absorbing material of substantial thickness at its base, obviously the device might be interiorly lined with the sound absorbing material.

lVhile I prefer for theoretical reasons, to have the flarestart at the top of the device and gradually increase toward the base, for commercial reasons in minimizing the size I show the side walls 1 and 2 substantially vertical down to about the point 27, as designated in Fig. 3, a little over one half the height, but from that point downwardly to have the sides flare. To the same end, applicant prefers to have the front and back walls formed with a slight flare downwardly beginning at about and back walls and increasing slightly in the angle of flare as the walls approach the base. 'llhese flares not only serve the useful function of reflecting the sounds within the chamber downwardly to the sound absorbing medium 26 rather than upwardly where they may act upon the diaphragm of the telephone transmitter but also assist inincreasing the stability of the device. Furthermore flaring of the side walls toward the base provides a c'ross sect-ion at that point where the sound absorbin material is placed which is severaltnnes the cross-sectional area at the point wherethe soundis generated by the speaker.

Provision is theretoreflmade for the maximu thickness and cross-sectional area of soinrc'labsorbing material- In. order to increase the utility and cause it'to serve more fr {as adesk utility, ap-

plicant prefers to mount some one of the well known desk facilities upon one side of the device and to that end illustrated a clock, 28,

as mounted uponv one side of the device.

Fromthe hereinbefore given description in connection with the drawings it will now be readily understood that ppli'cant has pro du'ced artele-p-h-one mu-fller which is an accessory' rather than an attachment to a tel phone that is so constructed and formed that it is a stable device resting upon its own base and. is of such a nature that it may well be used on a desk as an ornamentor a utility other than silencer, such as a clock or the like; that it is of substantially artistic configuration and is so constructed that it may properly and efiiciently support some one or more of the well known desk conveniences such as: a clock; that it is so constructed that the transmitter end oia hand set type of telephone may' be easily conveniently man u-a lly inserted and manually held within an ori flce thereof and make sound tight connectionvwith a material surrounding and positionedin said orifice; that it is so formed that it fits, in a sound tight manner, the portion oi the face surrounding the lips of a person anail, consequently, may be used eiiiciently as a telephone mufller to prevent persons within hearin distance from overbearing a telephone conversation when-the device is used; and that the use of the device rather tendsto improve telephonetransmission than otherwise because the use of the'de-vice practically necessitates bringing the transmitter into proper proximity with the lips of the speaker and as the device excludes external sounds and has means tor preventing reverberation within itself the telephone transmission is .hereby' improved. 7

Although I have particularly described one particular physical embodiment ofmy invention and explained the principle, construction, and. operation thereof, nevertheless, I

' desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of means underlying my invention.

lVlnle I have shown and described the mu fiier as adapted especially for use with the so called hand set telephone instrument, it will he understood that it may readily be adapted for use in a similar manner with the ed thereto through a cord and hangs upon a cut-out hook on the standard when not in use; and in the appended claims I do not wish the term manually held or like exaressions to exclude the ada )tation of the dew l vice to an instrument with which the user is relieved of the necessity for actually holding thetransmitter when using it. 7 7

hat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a telephone muflier, in combination, material forming-an enclosed walled chamber with a substantially fiat base and side walls flaring slightly outwardly in a direction toward the base and a top curving inwardly and upwardly, a side wall being formed with an orifice for the reception of a telephone transmitter and the top being formed for the reception of the mouth and lips of a person.

2. In a telephone inuitlenin combination, a bottom wall serving as a base; two side walls slightly flaring outwardly-toward the bottom well, one being formed with an orifice for the partial reception of a telephone transmitter a front wall and a back wall each flaring slightly outwardly toward the bottom Wall, a top Wall, said top wall curving inwardly and upwardly fromv each side wall and formed with an orifice formed to receive the mouth and lips of a person with the mar ginal edges in contact with the portionof the face surrounding the lips and a substantial thickness of a sound deadenim material positioned over all the bottom wall.

3. A telephone muffler comprising an upright portable hollow box-of a size suitable for desk use and having flaring lateral. walls providing a relativelybroad base, a mouth 7 opening in the top portion of the box for the reception of downwardly directed sound, an

openingin the side wall near the top espeter. opening and in line with the direction of the sound delivered into the mouth opening. 4. Ina telephone muffler, in combination,

a bottom wall serving as a base; two side walls slightly flaring outwardly toward the bottom wall, one being formed with an orifice tor'the partial reception of a telephone transmitter; a front wall and aback wall-each flaringsl-ightly outwardly toward the bottom wall, atop wall, said top wall curving inwardly and upwardly from each side wall and formed with an orifice shaped to receive the mouth and lips of a person with the marginal edges in contact with the portion of the face surrounding the lips and a sound deadening material positioned on the bottom wall. 5. A telephone mufiler for the hand set type of telephone comprising a sound tight walled chamber, said chamber being formed 10 with a sound receiving orifice and an orifice shaped for receiving and making a sound tight connection with the transmitter end of the telephone when manually held therein.

6. In a telephone mufiler for the hand set type of telephone, a wall having an orifice therein for the reception of the transmitter end of the telephone, and a bushing within the orifice in said wall, said bushing being formed from flexible material and shaped to receive the transmitter end of the telephone and make a sound tight connection therewith when manually held therein.

7. In a telephone mufiler for the hand set type of telephone, a wall having an orifice 25 therein for the reception of the transmitter end of the telephone, and a bushing within the orifice, said bushing being formed from flexible material and having an inwardly extending shoulder for limiting the inward movement of the telephone transmitter and making a sound tight connection therewith. 8. A bushing for the transmitter orifice of a telephone mufiler adapted to the hand set type of telephone consisting of flexible material and having a converging inner surface,

a circumferential groove near the outer surface to receive the edge of the orifice and an inwardly extending shoulder adjacent the innor surface for limiting the inward move- 40 ment of the telephone transmitter and makin g a sound tight connection therewith.

9. A bushing for the transmitter orifice of a telephone mufller adapted to the hand set type of telephone consisting of flexible mate- 45 rial and having a converging inner surface, a

circumferential groove near the outer surface to receive the edge of the orifice and an inwardly extending shoulder for limiting the inward movement of the telephone transmitter and making a sound tight connection therewith, the plane of the inwardly extending shoulder being substantially parallel to the inner surface of the bushing.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

HARRY C. TUTTLE. 

